Freedom was something we held a state funeralfor, September 12th, yet we hesitate to recallLiberty got kidnapped in an unmarked vannever to be seen or heard from againJustice blindfolded by paranoid agencieswho never slept 50 years thru World War IIIA rude awakening after a decade of calmto find the Spooks waiting in the wings all alongto start World War IV, fought wihout respectby those who claim to Serve and ProtectA war being waged against Freedom itselfa fight for the future that needs some helpAll it can get, if we don't want to regretTo repeat history, all must do is forgetWhere no one else knows what to expectsuch a Chilling Effect, always wondering who's next

The target list of a shadow warthat the rest of us are supposed to ignoreNames & faces that you never knewThey fought for your freedom, tooPrisoners of War

Some are people whose only crimewas being in the wrong place at the wrong timeUnpersoned, "disappeared" Soviet-style"Rendered" to undisclosed locations whilepoliticians call for more

All along, they've been keeping scoreGot dragged and ushered out the back doorand nobody knows where they are anymoreor what they're even chained-up forPrisoners of War

The truth is on life-support most of the timefrom those who want the facts to be redefinedTruth is not libel, but a flimsy shield, one findswhen Free Speech is outpriced by legal gripesSLAPPed it with the First Amendment fight of its lifeNo justice, just silence, when money decidesBig Lies with matching budgets and screentimeto sweep facts under the rug with bold headlineswhen governments wage war on their own citizensWhen it's a crime just to be a witness to themcameras met with guns & belligerenceMade an entire industry of imprisonmentInvestigators who got too close the real storytaken before they could reveal how much more wedon't know, witness to things that should be seenstories that go untold on your TV screen

The target list of a shadow warthat the rest of us are supposed to ignoreNames & faces that you never knewThey fought for your freedom, tooPrisoners of War

No oath sworn, wore no uniformRisked it all to keep you informedStill speaking truth to powerSignal boost 'til the eleventh hourKnow what's in store

Still digging for the truth forus in every investigationFling a light into the futurefor the next generationfighting World War IV

All along, they've been keeping scoreGot dragged and ushered out the back doorand nobody knows where they are anymoreor what they're even chained-up forPrisoners of War

Prisoners of a war never declared, it's frighteningheld captive in a war some didn't even know they were fightingNo terms or conditions, just assume the positiontaken for a ride called Extraordinary RenditionReverse Underground Railroad of unmarked vans & planesall those whose disappearance remains unexplainedJust an Executive Decision, no supervisionone-way trip to the world's most populated prisonsIn no position to criticize others as long we enforcethe very methods of all the places we say we deploreThose who've been "rendered" to distant shoresshoved in unmarked vans & ushered out the back doorWho don't even know what they're chained up forTheir families no longer know where they are anymoreknowing the next disappearance could be yoursBut no one one want to be next in line, of courseInsidious, how slowly tyranny can sneak upWhen they come for you, who'll be left to speak up?

The target list of a shadow warThat the rest of us are supposed to ignoreNames & faces that you never knewThey fought for your freedom, tooPrisoners of War

No oath sworn, wore no uniformRisked it all to keep you informedStill speaking truth to powerSignal boost 'til the eleventh hourKnow what's in store

Still digging for the truth forus in every investigationFling a light into the futureFor the next generationfighting World War IV

Not soldiers, but all the same they foughtDefending freedom at home as they do abroadSo that soldiers can come back home to findThe same country and liberties they left behindWho'll you speak for?

It's easy to just duck and coverWhen trouble comes barging thruBut if you don't speak up for otherswho'll be left to speak up for youwhen they kick down your door?

All along, they've been keeping scoreGot dragged and ushered out the back doorand nobody knows where they are anymoreor what they're even chained-up forPrisoners of War

Chapter End Notes:

-2003 â€“ Sept 11, 2017

This one is dedicated to anyone who's ever been threatened, jailed, beaten, tortured or murdered in the name of truth and justice. You don't have to wear a uniform to fight for freedom.

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